NC team reviews oil disaster plan

North Carolina remains concerned about the potential of oil making its way to the coast, despite news of the Gulf well being plugged.

NC's emergency response team met Friday in Raleigh to review its plan.

The group has had a plan in place since the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill. The plan specifies what to do if an oil spill happens near the NC coast. And while chances of oil breaching the coast from the Gulf spill are remote, state agency administrators say they have updated their plans just in case.

While cleanup continues on the Gulf coast, many want to know what are the chances NC could see something similar here?

"If we get something, it looks like it will be tar balls, and that is what we are working towards," said Mike Sprayberry, NC Emergency Management.

The team keeps a plan in place to keep NC beaches clean. However, the cleanup bill will be BP's responsibility.

"This is not a FEMA disaster," Sprayberry explained. "Not related to the Stafford Act. It's part of the private sector, and it's their responsibility to clean up and pay for the cleanup."

Sprayberry says emergency management will be watching Florida's coast. When tar balls start washing ashore there, NC can expect to see the same in two to five days.

And for people wondering what they can do to help, Julia Jarema of emergency management says, "Really, there's nothing in NC they can do to help. Even if there was something happening here, they wouldn't be able to volunteer because we don't want them exposed to harmful chemicals and things like that."

Jarema also says you can get training to help with the clean up, but BP conducts the training.